


Supernatural 3.14 review

by yourlibrarian



Series: Supernatural Reviews [17]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode Review, Episode: s03e14 Long Distance Call, Gen, Nonfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 17:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30109791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlibrarian/pseuds/yourlibrarian
Summary: Originally posted May 2, 2008.
Series: Supernatural Reviews [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2202249
Kudos: 1
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge





	Supernatural 3.14 review

A three base hit for Jeremy Carver. If it wasn't for a Very SPN Christmas, I'd think he's becoming my favorite SPN writer. 

Other than the intro, the episode moved along quite quickly (and the set designers had their work cut out for them this week, there were a lot of scene changes). What I was impressed by was the number of important Winchester moments it managed to pack in: Dean's revelation about what Ruby told him, the face-off about the secrets Sam's been keeping, Dean's feelings about the deal, his willingness to still follow his father blindly, his accusation to Sam about still being at loggerheads with John, and of course the final scene.

So far Carver reminds me of Drew Goddard, who joined the BtVS (and the Angel) writing teams in S7 but still wrote some pivotal episodes of the series, and was known for his continuity porn. I thought he managed to get some bits of that into Mystery Spot as well, but it was particularly on display here. For one thing we got a number of threads picked up from previous episodes. We also saw little bits like the Busty Asian Beauties reference (wouldn't they have cancelled his platinum membership when the credit card number turned up bad?) and Dean and Sam reverting to their previous teamwork –- Dean's tactless comments annoying the witness while Sam tries to smooth things over (hee to the "capital offense" bit). Not only are these small references a treat for regular viewers, but it also adds to the other thing that this and Mystery Spot had –- a sense of Sam and Dean's small moments. Considering what a lot of "slice of life" moments we get in fanfic, I'm fairly sure that these small bits are what a lot of other people latch on to as well. It just gives us a better sense of them as people. This includes the brotherly moments like Dean commenting about Sam's face being improved, and casual stuff like the hot dog Dean gets for Sam (which he tosses away uneaten?). 

I also liked the way Carver drew humor out of other small details, such as the museum tour guide, the porn-watching telephone guy, Dean's comment about necrophilia just as the cute girl walks by, and of course the usual play on names, in this case Campbell and Raimi (telling us something about the episode). Director Bob Singer got some nice moments out of this too. I particularly noticed the way Dean was shot in the bathroom as he talks to John. The end where his eyes are black pits seemed to me to intentionally reference Dean's hellish fate. I also liked the setup when Dean tells Sam about John's first call. I instantly thought of Something Wicked when Dean tells Sam the Shtriga story, which would be an interesting thematic callback. Another rather packed episode, Sin City, was also a collaboration between Carver and Singer (if a different one). 

What was also good was the setup of the episode. The Spirit Phone was a good decoy, and although the intro segment gave us a pretty good idea that the final purpose of the calls was for the contacted people to kill themselves, I think that there were enough things going on that the plot didn't have to turn on a big surprise. Given that I had done a lecture only last week on [government data mining and privacy issues](http://ssc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/4/401), it was a bit disconcerting to see the demon's discussion hinge on this topic. Life convergence, ahoy!

While some of the episode brought us back into earlier seasons' Sam and Dean, there were small touches that reminded us that these two have moved on from that point. Dean's was most obvious, not only because of the end scene, but his veiled desperation throughout. Sam too, though, is quieter in so many ways. Whereas I think that some of Dean's behavior would have led to shouted arguments back in S1, the silence that was draped over Sam through much of Jus in Bello is in evidence here too. I loved that whole scene with Sam and Lanie at the car. I'm not sure why I liked it so much, I think there was something about the way JP played it that brought out those changes in Sam. He's still being empathetic to the victim, that sort of trustworthy guy that people were willing to open up to. But instead of the forced earnestness that came from S1 and even S2 Sam, there's a sort of maturity to this Sam that is more believable. It's almost like this is the Sam who has settled into this life and committed to it, in a way that earlier Sam still resisted. It's intriguing that this is an episode where John "appears" because I wondered if maybe this Sam is an echo of early John, when he was first settling into his new job. Given what we saw in the AU of Mystery Spot, we're clearly supposed to be making connections between Sam's path and John's, so I can't help thinking some of this is deliberate.

I also quite liked the way Dean and Sam worked apart. It was necessary for the plotline in this case, and isn't unusual in itself. But it seemed to be the theme of this episode, starting with the opening scene where Sam's been talking to a professor while Dean moves on to their next case. It's a curious development since only a few episodes back Sam swore Dean wouldn't go anywhere without him, and after Lilith's appearance you wouldn't think Dean would either. This is emphasized in the larger message of the MotW As the Crocatta told Sam, we are all connected yet more alone than ever. Previously people knew one another, looked out for one another, and the demon had few chances of capturing them. Now, it's implied, this no longer happens. Given that Sam and Dean's opening scene talked about the secrets they're keeping from one another, and there is a distinct separation between them (emotional and physical) throughout the episode, I wonder if this doesn't play into the larger issue of Dean's deal. Are the secrets Sam's keeping going to hamper his ability to help Dean? He certainly doesn't look out for Dean enough here. Surely Sam, who knows perfectly well that Dean doesn't listen to him when he asks him not to do things alone (see Skin) should know better than leave a high-strung Dean while he goes to talk to a victim. Why not drag Dean along? He can still take a call wherever he is. 

Is Sam becoming numb to the idea of Dean dying? Even with the finality of that Wednesday, he would have had to, to get through all those Tuesdays. Does Dean ever wonder why John doesn't seem interested in talking to Sam, especially if part of him believes that John doted on him? Is perhaps part of him glad that John has reached out to him and not Sam? Perhaps the most striking thing about Dean and Sam's separation here is the way that Sam is not at the forefront of Dean's thoughts, not even a little. The final scene seems a way of acknowledging the way the crisis is making both pull away from one another for their own reasons. But it doesn't seem to have really solved anything.

I don't know where this episode fits on a calendar timeline, but the opening conversation made it appear they have been spending time since 3.12 working primarily on research for Dean's contract. (Maybe this is part of the reason Sam is so out of sorts in 3.13, when Dean presumably wanted to take –- for them -– a break from Sam's research jag to do some more regular hunting, just as he does here). At the end, as Dean makes it apparent how alone and afraid he feels, I thought it was telling that he was completely unaware of what he was actually saying to Sam – that he has no faith in Sam coming up with any solutions. Given that, I thought Sam's quiet reaction showed surprising maturity on his part, given that he must feel just as frightened and very much a failure for turning up nothing to this point. I can't imagine someone driven enough to get into Stanford (which we were reminded of again by Dean) and single-minded as we saw in Mystery Spot, could fail to be beating himself up inside for not getting anywhere on this #1 task. But he didn't seem to show it. He let it be all about Dean.

That final scene was loaded in so many ways. For one it seems to be a brutally honest moment for Dean. He apologizes easily, perhaps not just because he was wrong but because he realizes in retrospect that he (1) could have killed an innocent victim and (2) wasn't there to help Sam either. Perhaps that's also a byproduct of the reminder of John. Surely he would have been used to acknowledging his screw-ups to his father, while no doubt that was just one more point of contention between Sam and John. Then he goes on to not just show his fear but talk about it, something he acknowledges and deflects at the end by complaining about Sam's response and instantly moving away from the moment. Most poignant to me is the way that he's still turning to John in his hour of need. His father always managed the rescues, always had the answers. How can he help but want that now when things are so desperate. 

One last callback to the beginning of the season seemed to be Dean calling Sam "Unbelievable" both when Sam is reluctant to accept what "John" has told Dean and also when Sam simply adds "And me." It's a nice turnabout, since Sam had been commenting in Magnificent 7 about how Dean wouldn't take his deal seriously, and here Dean was accusing Sam of not caring enough about it. We also had Sam in Fresh Blood wanting Dean to talk to him, but when Dean waits for some sort of response from Sam ("Hello? That's it?"), Sam has nothing to tell him, any more than he did in "Dead Things." 

The comics haven't explored pre-fire John. How long John knew Mary, what their story actually was, we don't know. We just know he loved her and was devastated by her death. There was one major difference between Sam and John at the beginning of SPN. John lost his normal life and then had to learn the truth about the supernatural, with the growing realization his life would never be the same. Sam lost his chance at a normal life, but he'd (almost) always known about the supernatural. Going into hunting was not as much of a loss to him. And in both cases, Dean was there for John and he was there for Sam.

Rather I'd say Dean is to Sam as Dean was to John. After Mary's death John was burdened but also blessed with having Sam and Dean. They were his continuing tie to her, his reason to live, his reason to make something of himself. Certainly from Sam's perspective John wasn't much of a parent. But he was known in the hunting world and even if he wasn't liked, people did respect him and his ability to do the job. By hunting standards, John was a successful guy.

What is interesting is that John couldn't live without Dean. He separated himself for what he thought was the safety of his sons, but I think several episodes showed he wanted to be with them. And John was ready to kill himself to save Dean, both in the cabin and by taking the deal. My guess is that that's what they're setting Sam up for, to sacrifice himself.

I think it also makes a thematic sense for the series. While some have written about Sam's story as a hero's journey, in even simpler terms I think it's a coming of age story. Sam was a boy and he's now becoming a man. And the definition of that by SPN standards is to sacrifice one's self for others. I think this is also shown in his ability to hunt on his own post-Dean (and in this episode). Throughout the series Sam has always had to be saved, even when he was taking part in saving others. Now he's saving himself. But John had reasons to keep going; Sam would have no one he would live for.

Of course the episode had its usual number of unexplained bits. Just like in Dream, I had to wonder what drew Bobby's attention to this case. The issue of electrical problems in a house combined with a suicide seemed like pretty flimsy evidence to send them off and hunting (and how would that information ever have made it into a newspaper report or something else Bobby could have picked up on? The wife certainly didn't seem to think it particularly relevant). Also it seems as if the Crocatta had to be near the victim right after death. I'm assuming he decided to waste a victim just for the sake of killing Dean off, but what did he get out of the guy shooting himself? Was he actually near at the time? What about Lanie seeing the image of her mother? If the Crocatta had projective capabilities, why wouldn't it have caused visual hallucinations for other victims? It said it had earlier whispered to victims, I'm not clear how that ability translates into manipulation of electronic communication unless it can produce any sort of hallucination. 

Speaking of Lanie, how did she know Sam was driving a rental? Supposedly the only indication was on the bumper, which she didn't go to. And why wouldn't a telephone guy be wearing a cheap suit? 

Random Details: In the overhead shot as JP walks towards JA in the plaza opening and also when Sam is spying on the guy at the phone company, I suddenly saw the walk that JA mimicked at the L.A. con. Heh. 

I am assuming that the close-up on the license plate of Sam's rental was actually meant to note the rental bumper sticker. I couldn't help thinking however that the license plate said "Emo."

I was amused by how, as the telephone guy sent Sam and Dean away, Dean winks at him and Sam just looks uncomfortable. 

Have any children ever died in SPN? They've been under threat numerous times, but have any died? I can't remember right now.

Apparently it's canon that Sam's first sexual experience wasn't until college. At least not any that Dean knows about, since Sam didn't bother to correct him. This implies that Sam might have been a virgin before Jess (again, like with John and Mary, we've no idea how long that went on or how many other relationships there might have been). But the idea that this is one of the things that made Jess special to Sam is something that hadn't occurred to me until this reference.

Am I seeing things or was there something exceptionally sharp and clear about the cinematography in this episode? When I saw that scene in the plaza, the resolution was amazing. The green of the grass was also exceptionally bright later on. And we also got the guys in suits, which is never a bad thing.

Yay for us seeing Sam get himself out of a jam without anyone's help. Given events in the Mystery Spot AU we know this has to have happened numerous times, but I think it's the first time we've seen it in the series, right?

I loved the smile and eye waggle that Sam and Dean exchange as Sam reads about the Spirit Phone. 

Wonder why they wanted 77 Sunset Strip to be playing on the TV at the end?


End file.
